Announcement by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán

This is Day 49 of the state of danger declared due to the coronavirus. I shall now inform you of the conclusions of a long Cabinet meeting. The first phase of the containment effort has come to an end. I thank everyone who has taken part in the demanding work involved in this phase. As I see it, our joint efforts have resulted in the Hungarian healthcare system now being prepared to cope with even a massive numbers of patients. Today no one should be concerned that they might be left without appropriate care. As you know, we are preparing for the worst – but, of course, hoping for the best. Suppression of the virus has entered a new phase. Together with you, we can try to restart life in Hungary; but we must go forward gradually, according to a strict timetable. This means that we must continue to maintain the rigorous protection of the elderly and our compatriots living in the most infected areas. As you know, infections are mostly concentrated in the capital and the areas and settlements surrounding it. Therefore, in order to protect people living there, the current restrictions on movement will remain in effect in Budapest and its environs. In the countryside, the current restrictions on movement will be replaced with new containment measures. There the current restrictions on the opening hours of shops will be lifted and the terraces and gardens of restaurants and cafes may reopen, as may outdoor bathing facilities; in shops and on public transport, however, it will continue to be compulsory to keep at a distance of one and a half metres from one another and to wear face covering or a face mask. We are maintaining the measures on times of the day reserved exclusively for serving the elderly, and I continue to ask our elderly compatriots to exercise appropriate caution when going outdoors. Tomorrow we will announce more details related to the rules. The Government is continuously consulting epidemiologists, and every two weeks we shall review the containment rules in force. There is one other thing in relation to this. As we are preparing for Mothers’ Day, from Friday the current restrictions on opening hours will be lifted for flower shops. God bless all mothers! We shall not leave a single Hungarian by the wayside.